How to Trade

Synthetic
Indices
by Vince Stanzione

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 How to Trade Synthetic Indices Vince Stanzione

Disclaimer
Information and strategies contained in this book are intended as educational
information only and should not be treated as advice or a recommendation
to trade nor used as a sole trading guide. For practical application and further
learning, explore Deriv Academy1. The past is not a guide to future
performance, and strategies that have worked in the past may not work in the
future. Trading derivative products involves a high level of risk and may not be
suitable for all customers. The value of any trade, and the income derived from
it, can go down as well as up, and your capital is at risk. Although due care has
been taken in preparing this document, we disclaim liability for any
inaccuracies or omissions.
Deriv is the manufacturer and distributor of its products. Products offered
on deriv.com are considered complex derivatives and may not be suitable
for retail clients. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of
losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70.78% of retail investor accounts lose
money when trading CFDs with this provider2. You should consider whether you
understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the risk of losing
your money.

The information presented is intended for retail and professional clients.

Company information

•Deriv Investments (Europe) Ltd (W Business Centre, Level 3, Triq Dun

Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9033, Malta) is licensed and regulated in Malta by
the Malta Financial Services Authority under the Investment Services
Act to provide investment services.

•Deriv (BVI) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the British Virgin Islands
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Services Commission.

For more information, please visit deriv.com.

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1
2
Deriv Academy is unavailable for clients residing in the EU.
These statistics are specific to Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited.
Contents
01
Introduction
05
04
22
Three states of a synthetic
index market

02 06 26
05
Why should synthetic indices Conclusions
be in your trading toolbox?

03 07 27

07 About Vince Stanzione

Platforms for trading synthetic

08
indices 07
1. Deriv Trader 14
2. Deriv MT5
Appendices

04 General points about

trading and Deriv
28

Smarter trading of synthetic

indices 19

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Introduction 04

01
Introduction
This is a step-by-step guide on how to trade
synthetic indices, which are unique to Deriv.

Synthetic indices are unique indices more confident, you can start using a
that mimic real-world market volatility real trading account.
and liquidity risks which are often seen The great advantage of using Deriv
in other financial markets. They are
services, which are available for
available for trading 24/7/365, and are
clients above the age of 18, is that
based on a cryptographically secure
you can start trading with just a
random number generator audited
small deposit. All the same, please
for fairness by an independent third
remember that trading can be addictive
party. Synthetic indices have been
and you need to be aware of its
traded for over 10 years with a proven
risks. Visit begambleaware.org for
track record for reliability and continue
more information. To give you more
to grow in popularity. Deriv offers a
measures of control, Deriv offers you
transparent and fair platform with
ways to place trading limits or entirely
continuous two-way pricing and does
exclude yourself from trading for a
not second-guess which side of the
certain period of time. To learn more,
trade you are going to take.
please visit Secure and responsible
You will be able to practise trading trading .
these markets with a demo account
so you can see them in action without
risking any money. As you become

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Why should synthetic indices be in your trading toolbox? 05

02
Why should synthetic indices
be in your trading toolbox?
A good trader like a good plumber will have different tools in their toolbox to
tackle different jobs. Synthetic indices have a place in your trading as there are
many advantages to trading a synthetic index over a currency pair or traditional
financial indices such as the FTSE100 or Dow Jones.

These advantages include:

• Synthetic indices on Deriv MT5 offer high leverage and tight spreads.

• You can trade synthetic indices round the clock.

• They’re not affected by world events, real-world market, and liquidity risks.

• Synthetic indices are generated randomly and also audited for fairness by an
independent source.

• When trading synthetic indices on Deriv Trader, you’ll know your exact risk at
the outset, so no nasty surprises or margin calls.
There are no negative balances.
•

• You can start with low trading capital.

• They’re not subject to manipulation or fixing.

• They’re ideal for automated trading with continuous quotes and no gaps.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Why should synthetic indices be in your trading toolbox? 06

•You have the ability to choose a range of synthetic markets with lower or higher
risk-reward characteristics.

• They’re ideal for technical trading on Deriv MT5, Deriv X, Deriv Go and cTrader,
and can be traded using MetaQuotes MT5 charting software and chart pattern
trading .

•Synthetic indices are ideal for small and large traders alike with deep liquidity
and fast order execution at any time of day or night.

• Trading synthetic indices can be regarded as training for understanding real

markets, as a first step before graduating to trading more complex instruments
like forex and stock indices.

•A stable, regulated, and established online trading service provider offers them.

• New synthetic indices are to be offered as Deriv heavily invests in research and
development.

To study this subject in more details, visit Deriv Academy.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 07

03
Platforms for trading
synthetic indices
Deriv synthetic indices can be traded on various platforms to suit your own trading
style and experience. Here, we will start with Deriv Trader, which can be accessed
via Deriv.app on a desktop or a mobile device on a browser. We will then look at
MT5 (trading platforms may differ depending on the account type and clients’
country of residence) which gives you the widest choice of synthetic indices and
access to a full suite of professional trading tools.

Deriv Trader
Deriv Trader allows you
to trade directly from the
live chart. Deriv provides
a continuous price feed
for trading Rise (UP) or
Fall (Down) as well as
other ways to trade a
synthetic index.

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 08

Have many choices

There is a range of synthetic indices which you can trade, from lower volatility (Vol
10) to higher volatility (Vol 100). These are continuous indices: they are literally
ongoing 24/7/365 with constant deep liquidity, so no large gaps in prices.
Daily Reset Indices reset each day at midnight GMT. These are the Bear Market
Index and Bull Market Index.
The Volatility 10 Index has volatility set at 10% so the range of price movements
will be lower. At the other end of the spectrum, the Volatility 100 Index is set at
100%, so you will see fairly violent swings in prices which some systems and
traders prefer. The Volatility 100 Index is twice as volatile as the Volatility 50
Index, and four times as volatile as the Volatility 25 Index.

Enjoy the thrill and stay safe

Digital options have a fixed payout and a fixed premium; your risk is strictly limited
to your premium. In some markets, you can also close a digital option before
expiration, which is another advantage that synthetic indices have since you can’t,
for instance, close a forex digital option before it expires.

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 09

Be in control
With Deriv synthetic indices, you are in control of not only choosing the rate of
volatility but also deciding the length of the contract. This can range from ticks to
seconds to days.
With digital options, your trades settle automatically with no need to make a
closing trade. If the trade moves according to your prediction, any profit that
you make is added to your account balance automatically with no waiting for
settlement.
You can also have a number of trades open simultaneously. For example, you could
have a Rise (buy) trade on the Volatility 10 Index to settle in 1 hour and also have a
Fall (sell) trade on the same index to settle in 1 minute.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 10

Available option trades

When you trade synthetic indices on Deriv Trader, there are many digital option
trades that you can choose from, and Deriv is always adding more. Below, you
are introduced to those offered on Deriv Trader at the time that this book is being

Rise/Fall Higher/Lower
Predict whether the exit spot will be Predict whether the exit spot will
strictly higher or lower than the entry be higher or lower than a price
spot at the end of the contract period. target (the barrier) at the end of the
contract period.

Matches/Differs Over/Under
Predict what number will be the last Predict whether the last digit of the last
digit of the last tick of a contract. The tick of a contract will be higher or lower
duration of this trade cannot exceed than a specific number. The duration of
10 ticks. this trade cannot exceed 10 ticks.

Even/Odd Touch/No Touch

Predict whether the last digit of the Predict whether the market will touch
last tick of a contract will be an even or not touch a target at any time during
number or an odd number. The duration the contract period.
of this trade cannot exceed 10 ticks.

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 11

Two digital options trading examples

Let’s go through an example of trading synthetic indices as a Rise/Fall digital option:

Here we see the Volatility 10 Index with the price moving higher. We can choose
our investment – in this case, $10 1 (that is our total risk) – the duration of the
trade – in this case, 5 ticks 2 – and the direction of movement we predict for the
market – in this case, Rise.3

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 12

So, let’s see what happened:

We can see that the index closed higher than the purchase price, and our $10
investment has now gained $9.53 for a profit of 95.3%, which is not a bad return
for a few seconds!
Notice the trade settles automatically after 5 ticks, so we don’t need to sell to
close. Also, notice that initially, the trade went against us. However, this does not
matter. It’s the closing price that is important. Neither does it matter if the final
price is just marginally higher than the purchase price. We are still paid out.
Each trade, even if the trading capital is small, is given a unique reference ID
number for the opening and closing. This means that each trade has a full audit
trail that can be checked, so there is no way that the outcome can be manipulated
either by Deriv or the trader.

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 13

You can also close a trade early with some digital options if there is enough time
value left. In the image shown, Volatility 75 is still running and trade is going against
us. We can sell the contract and salvage some of the price paid for the trade.

Now, let’s take a look at an example of Over/Under. In this example, I predicted that
the last digit of the exit price would be above 1 for a 23.5% return. As you can see, it
was a winning trade as the end digit was 2.

Digital options is not offered to clients residing within the European Union.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 14

Deriv MetaTrader 5 (Deriv MT5)

MetaTrader 5 (MT5), developed by MetaQuotes Software, gives you access to

multiple asset classes — forex, stocks, commodities, and indices — on a single
platform. MT5 can be used on Android or iOS mobile devices as well as desktop
PC or MAC.
Before we see how Deriv connects with MT5, let’s find out more about margin
trading, the type of trading you can do on MT5.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 15

Margin trading
Margin trading allows you to make an investment using leverage. Now, what is
leverage? Leverage gives you the chance to make an investment which is larger
than your actual capital amount. A way to think of it is like a home loan or mortgage
where you put up 10%, and the bank provides the rest.
For example, you have $1,000 in your account but would like to buy $10,000 worth
of an index. Without leverage, this is impossible. But if a broker offers to boost your
purchase power, or in other words, give you leverage, your wish can come true.
Deriv offers up to 1:1000 leverage. With global interest rates remaining low, the
cost of borrowing money remains low and leverage proves to be cost-effective.
Leverage is offered at no extra charge.
Leverage magnifies your gains; of course, it will also magnify your losses. However,
with Deriv, it is not possible to go into a negative balance because we can apply
stop-out and forced liquidation measures to protect your account against losses
that might exceed your equity. All the same, when trading CFDs, it is important to
monitor your open positions closely because you may lose more than your initial
investment if the price moves against your prediction. You can use stop loss to limit
your risk.

Of course, just like a maximum speed limit, you don’t have to drive right at the
limit, and you don’t have to take your account to maximum margin.
Used sensibly, leverage can help to build up your account. Just be aware of the
downsides as well.
Now we know that the trading done on MT5 is leveraged. But there’s one more
thing that we should look at before going back to Deriv MT5 and that is the type of
contracts that you can purchase on this platform.

Trading conditions may vary depending on the country of residence

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 16

Contracts for difference (CFDs)

A contract for difference is a contract that gives you the chance to earn a payout by
correctly predicting the price movement of assets without owning them. CFDs are
available on a range of financial and synthetic markets and can be traded via MT5.
A CFD gives you exposure to a market and allows you to go long (trade for price to
go up) or short (trade for price to go down). The CFD will continue trading until you
close it or it gets stopped out. Stop out occurs when your margin level (percentage
of equity to margin) reaches a certain level that depends on your account type.
Before this, your account will be placed under margin call which also depends on
your account type. This does not affect your ability to open new positions; it serves
to alert you that your floating losses have added up to a certain level. It is best that
you top up your account to keep your positions open. Another option is to close
losing positions or set a stop loss to prevent your losses from becoming bigger.

Why access MT5 through Deriv

Whether you’re a new or experienced trader, you can easily access the MT5
platform via Deriv MT5. As a Deriv client, you can then trade CFDs on our unique
synthetic indices. Select Deriv as your broker to gain access to synthetic indices.
You can use a demo account to practise margin trading or switch to your real
account and trade CFDs for a real profit or loss.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 17

Instruments availabe for margin trading

Other MT5 features

MT5 also offers a massive selection of plugins that allow automated trading. To see
how Deriv makes it easy for you to automate your trades, read Appendix G on Deriv
Bot. It also provides a virtual private server (VPS), which means that for a small
monthly fee, your trading systems can run on a remote computer without needing
to tie up your phone or laptop. This also means you’re not relying on your internet
connection.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Platforms for trading synthetic indices 18

An MT5 trading example

In this example, you can see the volatility 10 chart and the Sell and Buy prices in
MT5. We can choose our trade size. In this case, I have $1 a point. In this index, a
point is 6,528.00 to 6,529.00. Imagine that I have sold $1 a point at 6,528.086 and
the current price is 6,555.740 so I have a running loss of 27.65 points, which in this
case equals -$27.65.

As you can see on the left-hand side, the widest selection of synthetic indices and
multiple trades can be running concurrently.
Trading synthetic indices with Deriv on the MT5 platform gives you a high amount
of leverage.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Smarter trading of synthetic indices 19

04
Smarter trading of
synthetic indices
No need to follow the news for
trading synthetic indices
Unlike currencies, commodities, and stock indices which can all be affected by
world news, such as a tweet from a president, or get manipulated by governments,
synthetic indices are purely mathematical. Therefore, there is no need to follow the
news or fundamental data.
As a result, the best way forward to trade a synthetic index is by observing price
patterns which is commonly referred to as technical analysis or charting.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Smarter trading of synthetic indices 20

Candlestick charts
There are various types of charts that can be used to analyse synthetic indices.
However, to keep things simple we will look at candlestick charts here.
Candlestick charts are said to have been developed in the 18th century by the
legendary Japanese rice trader Homma Munehisa. The charts gave Homma and
others an overview of open, high, low, and close market prices over a certain
period. This method of charting prices proved to be particularly interesting and
helpful, due to its uncanny ability to display five data points at a time, instead of
just one. The method was picked up by Charles Dow circa 1900 and remains in
common use by today’s financial market traders.

Candlesticks are usually composed of the body, typically shaded in black or white
illustrating the opening and closing trades, and the wick, consisting of an upper and
lower shadow illustrating the highest and lowest traded prices during the time
interval represented.
If the asset has closed higher than it opened, the body is white. The opening price
is at the bottom of the body. The closing price is at the top. If the asset has closed
lower than it opened, the body is black. The opening price is at the top. The closing

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Smarter trading of synthetic indices 21

price is at the bottom. A candlestick need not have either a body or a wick. Note
that in the examples shown throughout this book, we have used red for a down
candle instead of black, and green for an up candle Instead of white.

Timeframes
Depending on which timeframe you use in a chart, the trends and patterns will look
very different. Many traders examine multiple timeframes for the same currency
pair, such as the Volatility 100 index in one-minute, one-hour, and one-day charts.
Deriv offers comprehensive charts across different timeframes, ranging from very
short-term (i.e. mere ticks, or seconds) to one day.

A short-term timeframe Volatility 100 Index example over a five-hour period

Each candle represents one minute, and we see opportunities to profit from “up”
or “down” trades. We can go even shorter term into “ticks”; however, a tick chart
can only be displayed as a line chart.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Three states of a synthetic index market 22

05
Three states of a synthetic
index market
Now that you’ve become more familiar with charts and timeframes, you can see
that a synthetic index can only be in three states:

• Trend higher

• Trend lower

• Sideways range

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Three states of a synthetic index market 23

We shall now explore each of these states in greater detail.

Trend higher
The lows are becoming higher. The highs are also becoming higher. In other
words: whenever the market sells off, it rebounds at a higher price than the
previous time. This is considered to be “positive” or “bullish” activity because
market participants are willing to pay more than in the past.
Here we see an example of an uptrend.

Of course, no uptrend lasts forever, and we see the price falling outside the trend
lines and starting to move sideways in a range.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Three states of a synthetic index market 24

Trend lower
This is a downtrend: lows become lower, and highs become lower too. Any “up”
moves are quickly sold off, as the market is losing energy. A helpful analogy is a
boxer being knocked down gradually, taking longer and longer to get up each time.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Three states of a synthetic index market 25

Sideways range
Markets can also be dull or range-bound, with very little movement in either
direction. Such periods can last for weeks and sometimes months. Most traders
don’t profit from ranging markets. However with Deriv, you can trade and profit
from range markets.

Example Here we see the Volatility 10

Index.
We are placing a trade, predicting that
the index will stay between 6,700 and
6,400 over the next 5 days with a return
of 23.8%. That is a fairly low risk trade.
If you took the opposite view, it would
be a high-risk, high-reward trade which
would pay 362.3%.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Conclusion 26

06
Conclusion

I hope you found this short guide of use and that you will refer back to it in due course.
This book has shown the many ways synthetic indices can be traded on Deriv via
Deriv Trader, Deriv X, Deriv Go, cTrader and Deriv MT5. But please bear in mind that
synthetic indices are generated randomly and trading them is influenced by chance,
no matter how knowledgeable and skilful the trader is. Just remember that trading
can be addictive. Understand the risks and be in control.
Using Deriv services allows you to trade a great selection of markets. You will find
additional resources, charts, and tools on the deriv.com website.”

Wishing you success,

Vince Stanzione

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | About Vince Stanzione 27

07
About Vince Stanzione
Vince Stanzione has been trading
markets for over 30 years and is a self-
made multi-millionaire. He is the New
York Times bestselling author of The
Millionaire Dropout and is the author
of “Making Money from Financial
Spread Trading” course. He has been
quoted and featured favourably in
over 200 newspapers, media outlets
and websites including CNBC, Yahoo
Finance, Marketwatch, Reuters.com,
Independent, Sunday Independent,
Observer, Guardian, The Times, Sunday
Times, Daily Express, What Investment,
Growth Company Investor, New York
Times, Bullbearings, City Magazine,
Canary Wharf, Institutional Investor
China, and Shares Magazine.
He mainly lives in Mallorca, Spain,
and trades financial markets including
currencies, stocks, and commodities.
For more information, visit www.
fintrader.net and follow him on Twitter
@vince_stanzione.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 28

08
Appendices
General points about trading and Deriv

Appendix A

Why trust Deriv

Any trade or contract is only as good as the “counterparty”. This is also
known as “counterparty risk”. Deriv has been in business for over 20 years
and is an award-winning online trading service provider which, whilst at the
cutting edge, is conservatory managed with zero debt. The company and its
synthetic indices are regulated and audited. You can see copies of Deriv
licenses on its website.
Unlike some brokers that make it easy to deposit money yet hard to
withdraw, Deriv enables you to withdraw easily and securely. Please
note that while Deriv processes your withdrawal requests efficiently and
quickly, the period it might take banks or other financial institutions to
process withdrawals can be longer. Deriv tries to give you an estimate of
the total waiting time.
All your money is segregated and held in secure and licensed financial
institutions. In this way, in the unlikely event of Deriv becoming insolvent,
all your money will be returned to you because it is never merged with
Deriv ’s.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 29

Deriv has over 1.8 million trading accounts opened with more than 8
billion US dollars of total trade turnover, so you’re in good hands.
On a side note, if you place a trade and then for whatever reason, lose
internet connection, your trade still continues as it’s placed with the
Deriv servers. You can still check the outcome once your connection is
re-established. I had this happen to me whilst travelling in Thailand.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 30

Appendix B

Opening a real account

If you rehearse and rehearse the curtain will never go up.
Having a demo account is a great way to practise, but for a chance to
profit from markets you will need a real account. Rules and regulations
will apply depending on the country you are based in. Deriv aims to make
the process as simple as possible. If you are requested for a copy of your
ID, please provide them as soon as possible to avoid delays in setting up
your account.
Once your real account is open, then set yourself a trading goal or
plan. Just keep in mind that trading should not be considered as a
means to earn a living, to solve financial problems, or to make financial
investments. Synthetic indices on Deriv are available round the clock, so
you can always come back to trade on Deriv in your leisure time.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 31

Appendix C

Seven top tips for trading on Deriv

1. Start small and build up.
Albert Einstein was once asked what mankind’s greatest invention was.
He replied: “Compound interest.” There’s even one claim that Einstein
called compound interest the “eighth wonder of the world.”
I have been in the trading business for over 35 years, and I started
small. It was through the power of compounding that I could build up to
where I am now. You need to understand compounding to perceive what
a powerful tool it can be. Below is an excerpt from one of my favourite
fables which sums this up. The same principle can be used when trading
with Deriv.
Excerpt from A Grain of Rice by Helena Pittman

The daughter of the Chinese emperor was ill, and he promised riches
beyond compare to whoever could cure her. A young peasant named
Pong Lo entered the palace. With his wit and bravery, he restored the
Princess’ health and won her heart. As a reward, Pong Lo asked for her
hand in marriage. The emperor refused and asked Pong Lo to think of
anything else he would like.
After several moments of thought, Pong Lo said, “I would like a grain of
rice.”
“A grain of rice! That is nonsense! Ask me for fine silk, the grandest
room in the palace, a stable full of wild stallions – they shall be yours!”
exclaimed the emperor.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 32

“A grain of rice will do,” said Pong Lo, “but if his 536,870,912
majesty insists, he may double the amount every
day for a hundred days.”
So on the first day, a grain of rice was delivered 524,288
to Pong Lo. On the second, two grains of rice
were delivered; on the third day, four grains; on
the fourth day, eight grains; on the fifth day, 16
grains; on the sixth day, 32 grains; on the seventh
day, 64 grains; and on the eighth day, 128 grains.
By the twelfth day, the grains of rice numbered 128
2,048. By the twentieth day, 524,288 grains were
delivered; and by the thirtieth day, 536,870,912,
requiring 40 servants to carry them to Pong Lo. In 64
desperation, the emperor did the only honourable
thing he could do and consented to the marriage.
Out of consideration for the emperor’s feelings, no 32
rice was served at the wedding banquet.

16

08

04

02

01

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 33

2. Manage your money wisely.

Risk too much, and a few bad trades will make you lose your trading bank.
Risk too little, and it’s going to be a long time before you see any decent
profits. As previously explained, money management does not have to
be very complicated, but a simple system will ensure that no single trade
can wipe out your trading account. The mistake many new traders make is
trying to grow their account too fast.

3. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm you.

Trading with a demo account and trading with real money are not the
same. As in most walks of life, when real money is at stake, irrational
and instantaneous reactions might take over. Since trading can become
addictive, it is important to know how to stay in control and remain
reasonable especially when trading with real money. Besides reading
the following tips, please visit Secure and responsible trading and
begambleaware.org for more information.

It may not be possible to trade logically all the time; after all, we are
humans, with occasional impulsive decisions. But by using a system
and steadily applying practical experience, you can train your reasoning
powers to have a more permanent presence. Be careful about taking in
too much news and over-monitoring your position. It is easy to overreact
to a news story that may cause a short-term spike but is actually not
that important in the long run. Of course, news does not affect synthetic
indices, but you may also trade other markets via Deriv.
Using mobile devices and apps can cause you to make snap decisions
that you may later regret. The same sound judgment should be used with
all trade purchase decisions, no matter how or where they’re ultimately
executed.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 34

4. Profit potential exists in all markets. Many still believe that in order to
make money, the price of a share,
market, currency, or commodity must go up. However, this is not true. As
I have outlined in this guidebook, you can profit from up, down, and even
sideways movements, so don’t see falling markets as a negative.

5. When in doubt, sit it out. If you watch financial news channels such as
CNBC or Bloomberg, it
seems that you should always be doing something, since the channels
are filled with “breaking news.” Remember: these channels have to fill
their airtime, and in many cases, the best trade is, in fact, no trade. If you
are not sure, or do not see an opportunity you are happy with, then do
nothing and just wait for the next one. With the many markets offered by
Deriv, you will likely find plenty of opportunities at any time of the day
or night.

6. The higher the returns, the lower the chance of a payout.

Deriv offers a vast selection of trading opportunities ranging from
lower-risk trades with returns of 5-10% to those with higher returns of
100% or more. Deriv prices trades based on mathematical probabilities.
Of course, unexpected events do happen, but overall, if you are being
offered returns of more than 200% for a trade lasting a day or less –
just as an example – the reason for such generous returns is that the
likelihood of a payout is fairly slim. Keep in mind it’s readily possible to
“mix and match” your trades on Deriv.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 35

7. Decide carefully on your approach to trading.

Some people trade casually, and that is perfectly fine. Some approach
it with a more serious attitude. While I do not encourage you to view
trading as a means to earn a living, to solve financial problems, or to
make financial investments, and while I certainly don’t deny the role
of chance in trading, I do believe there are ways to trade more smartly,
especially when it comes to financial indices. See the tips under “Keep
your emotions in check and trade wisely”. For instance, keep solid
records of your winning and losing trades. A diary can help with this to
complement the tracking tools you’ll find on deriv.com, enabling you
to keep tabs on your winnings. Also, stick to a trading system to help
minimise emotional decision-making.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 36

Appendix D

Keep your emotions in check and trade

wisely
Regardless of how big or small your account is, it is important to trade
responsibly and stay in control of your emotions (visit Secure and
responsible trading and begambleaware.org for more information). If you
react impulsively to market movements when you’re trading with real
money, chances are that you’ll suffer serious losses. It makes sense to
slow down a little.
If you’re going through a bad run, then take a step back, reduce the
size of your trades, or maybe even go back to using a demo account for
a while. Deriv does not place a time limit on demo accounts, and you
can use your real and demo accounts side by side. In fact, since Deriv
is committed to responsible trading, it encourages you to use all of the
measures it offers to stay in control at all times.
Let’s say you start with a $1,000 account. If you limit your risk on any
one trade to 5% of the account, this practice would allow you to keep
trading, even with a bad run. Let’s observe this simple system in action.

The maximum staked on a single trade should never be more than 5%

of your account total. So initially, 5% of your $1,000 account balance
would be $50. If your balance goes down, then your trade size is
proportionately reduced.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 37

Let’s say that – following a few losing trades – your account balance
decreases to $900; 5% of this amount would now be $45. If you
have had a good run, then your allowance per trade proportionately
increases.
Suppose you’ve had a few winning trades in a row and your account
balance has risen to $1,200; your 5% maximum per trade is now $60.
The key is that no one trade should ever blow your trading account.

If your account goes down 50%, how much do you need to put on the
line to get back to even? Most will say 50% to make up for the previous
losses, but here’s the problem: You would need the account to move
100% to make this strategy work. As any trader will tell you, this is a not
a wise approach.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 38

Big losses are hard to recoup

The maths of percentages shows that as losses get larger, the returns
needed to recover to breakeven point increase at a much faster rate.
A loss of 10% necessitates an 11% gain to recover. Increase that loss
to 25%, and it takes a 33% gain to get back to breakeven. A 50% loss
requires a 100% gain to recover. An 80% loss necessitates 500% in
gains to get back to where the investment value started.
Therefore, it is important to avoid big losses from the get-go. To do
so on Deriv Trader, use only a small fraction of your account balance
to purchase a trade so that if the market moves against you, your
loss would be an amount you can easily afford. For leveraged trading
on Deriv MT5, you need to be extra vigilant. Cut your losses at an
affordable point. Better still, use Deriv’s stop loss feature to make
it automatic. Also, follow the tips below. Remember, above all, that
synthetic indices are influenced by chance and their patterns are by no

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 39

Tips to help prevent losses from spiralling out of control

While you need to be smart in your approach, remember that there is a
difference between synthetic indices and other markets. Synthetic indices
are generated randomly and are not predictable, so it is not wise to grow
confident in your techniques when you’re trading them. You may not be
able to control the index price, but you can control the amount of risk
you place on any one trade, the amount of margin you use, and the total
percentage of your account being invested at any time.
Watch that ego. Don’t mistake a lucky run with skill. After a good run, many
become overconfident and start taking stupid risks. After a poor run, many
attempt to play catchup, trying to make their losses back fast. Both of
these slippery slopes are easy ways to lose your trading capital.
Many books have been written on money management with complicated
formulas. The key principle is quite simple: no single trade should ever
cause you irrecoverable financial or emotional damage. However sure
you are that XYZ is going to rocket, only a percentage of your trading bank
should ever be risked.

Take care when trading on mobile devices

When real money is at stake, you need to be careful. Technology is
wonderful; today, you can carry the power of a supercomputer in your
pocket. It’s now possible to make trades on the move from a mobile device
from anywhere but do take care. Some tend to trade very differently on
mobile devices than they do when they are sitting at a laptop or desktop.
Be sure to apply the same level of strict discipline to trades purchased on
mobile devices as you would on your desktop. It’s all a matter of mindset.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 40

Appendix E

Technical analysis
Disclaimer: There is no guarantee that analysing the past performance of
the market, whether on financial or synthetic indices, can lead to
successfully predicting future market movements. These technical analysis
tools merely help to gain a better understanding of how markets move and
how such data can be analysed for a better informed decision when trading.
Please remember that trading always involves risk and you should consider
this when trading. Trading on synthetic indices is a game of chance and skill
does not affect the outcome of a trade.

Getting technical
Technical analysis ignores the news and economic data, focusing purely
on price trends and volume. It primarily involves studying chart patterns,
showing the trading history and statistics for whatever market is being
analysed. You would start with a basic price chart which would show
the indices trading price in the past and look for a trend or pattern that
could help determine future pricing. Let’s look at a few tools for technical
analysis in more detail.

Three technical analysis tools

This guide doesn’t aim to go into the hundreds of possible technical
trading tools, patterns, and indicators, but the following can give you an
understanding of the main tools available. This brief overview is designed
to help you get started in trading via CFDs or digital options so that

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 41

you can begin to build up your knowledge. Deriv and MT5 offer access
to excellent complementary charts and tools with over 30 technical
indicators, but we will stick to three of the main ones here:

1. Moving averages

2. Price channels: Donchian channels

3. Relative strength index (RSI)

It’s important to keep your trading system simple at the beginning. As

you progress, you can add extra tools to further refine your abilities.

1. Moving averages

It’s hard to trace the precise origins of the moving average (MA),
although this concept is often attributed to Richard Donchian,
who was a great pioneer of systematic trading in the 1950’s
and 60’s. The methodologies that he developed over 40 years
ago still serve as the basis of many complex systems used by
the world’s best traders.
The dictionary defines an average as “the quotient of any sum divided
by the number of its terms.” Let’s suppose that you need to work out
a 10-day moving average of the following numbers: 10, 20, 30,
40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. You would thus add these figures together
and divide by 10 (i.e. the total number of items in the set), to arrive at
an average of 55. Now when tomorrow’s price comes in – let’s say 105
– you would remove the oldest number (i.e. 10) and add 105 to the
end of the series. The average of this set would now be 64.5.
Every charting software package incorporates the moving average, as
it is one of the most basic aspects of trading. You will also find it on the
various charts featured on the Internet. You don’t need to worry about
working it out manually on your own.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 42

- Types of moving averages

Moving averages can be calculated for any data series, including

all sorts of different indicators associated with a particular currency
(e.g. open, high, low, close, volume, etc.). To start, concentrate on
the simple moving average. While some have tried to be clever
by deviating from this straightforward standard in various ways, it is
best to stick with a simple approach, particularly as you first begin to
trade. In software or on the Internet, “simple moving
average” is often abbreviated as SMA.

There are five popular types of moving averages:

• Simple/arithmetic
• Exponential

• Triangular

• Variable

• Weighted

- Advantages and limitations of moving averages

Moving averages have their limitations; however, they can be a good
place to start in your quest to build a winning system. Here are key
considerations to factor in along these lines:
When the price breaks below the moving average, it triggers a sell
signal. Some traders also allow some leeway; they wait for one
or two days after the moving average breaks before making the
trade. If the price moves above the moving average, you would
be looking to place bullish bets (up trades) and if it breaks below,
you would place bearish bets (down trades).

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 43

Using a technical system – such as the moving average – helps to

reduce the impact of emotions on trading decisions. Rather than
basing your trades solely on what you believe should happen, your
trades are factually grounded in what is actually happening with the
market data points. A moving average can also prevent you from
making stupid mistakes, such as trading against a trend.
Moving averages work best when prices are “moving” either up or
down. In a sideways range, the moving average will go flat and give out
many false signals.

- Popular trading systems based on moving averages

SMA crossover is a popular strategy based on the simple moving

average technical indicator. It triggers if two SMA indicators with
different periods2 are crossing over, and it uses that as a signal to
purchase a contract, for example a 20 period (longer MA) crossing
a 5 period (shorter MA). You can also use just one moving average as
outlined previously.
This strategy is built to run in Deriv Bot (DBot), a free tool for
creating and applying your own automated strategies. You can
use Deriv Bot to trade using both virtual and real money accounts.

For more information on Deriv Bot, see Appendix G.

2
Period is either 1 minute, 1 hour, or 1 day, depending on what timeframe you’re trading on.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 44

An example of 2 moving averages crosses

Here we have 1-minute bars with a 5- and 20-period ( 5 and 20

minutes) MAs.

This is a very simple system that can be programmed to trade

automatically using Deriv Bot or an MT5 trade so you would not have to
keep monitoring. It’s also possible to test a system with a demo
account.
You could also use a CFD trade which would remain open as long as
the price remains above the moving average (long trade). When it falls
below, you close the trade. You can also then open a new trade (short
trade).

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 45

SMA as a short-term system

For those looking for more signals and quicker trades, a simple moving
average can be used, with the timeframe adjusted from daily to much
shorter periods, such as one hour or even one minute. Thus, a “20-period
simple moving average” becomes the average of the last 20 minutes or
hours.
The advantage of this method is quicker results, with the moving average
being quite sensitive to price movements. The disadvantage is that you
receive more false signals with such a short timeframe selected, so it’s a
trade-off but still worth examining.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 46

2. Price channels: Donchian channels The Donchian channel is an

indicator used in market trading, developed

by Richard Donchian. It is formed by taking the highest high and the
lowest low for a set period, such as 20 days. The area between the high
and the low is the Donchian Channel for the period chosen. This tool
is available within Deriv charts, with adjustable settings for the period
length. Twenty days is the conventional timeframe, which is why the
Donchian Channel is often referred to as the “20-Day rule” or the “4-
week rule.”
In the example below, the chart is set to daily bars and 20-day highs and
20-day lows. The line you see in the middle is the median line.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 47

3. Relative strength index (RSI)

The relative strength index (RSI) indicator measures a share’s

performance against itself. It is often used to identify buy
opportunities in market dips and sell opportunities in market rallies.
The value of the RSI is always a number between 0 and 100.

How to get the hang of trading tools

You can try out new ideas and systems on the Deriv platform or MT5 by
using a demo account or by purchasing minimum-size trades with a real
account. As little as one US dollar can be staked with your initial test
runs until you build up greater confidence in using a particular tool or
technique. Sometimes, an idea that seems quite logical on paper does
not actually work when applied to the real world of trading. Often, it’s
best to test out new strategies with actual market prices and your demo
account or just a small amount of real money to keep the risk as low
as possible. Then, if you’re happy with the results, you can increase to
bigger trade sizes. Keep in mind that overall, if a system is not working
on a small bet size, it’s hardly going to start working if you risk more. Use
your head; be smart.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 48

Appendix F

Be Deriv affiliate and earn an

extra income
Deriv is expanding in many new territories, and it is on the lookout for
talented and hardworking partners. You can promote Deriv to your friends
and contacts or market Deriv’s services. In return, Deriv shall pay you a
generous commission. As well as earning commission from Deriv, you can
look at developing trading systems and providing education to new traders.
Some of Deriv’s best clients are also its best affiliates. To find out more,
please visit https://deriv.com/partners/.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 49

Appendix G

Deriv Bot Automated trading

As already stated, synthetic indices trade 24/7 and it is possible to
automate your trading strategies, allowing you to profit from movements
even while you sleep!
Deriv has a simple trading bot called Deriv Bot which allows you to input
your own trading rules with no computer programming skills. You can
also import ready-made strategies.

A simple system such as ‘buy when two simple moving averages cross’,
or ‘buy after 3 up ticks’ can be easily programmed in.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 50

Examples of Deriv Bot usage

You can use Deriv Bot for trading Deriv synthetic indices too as the
trading software that third-party developers offer for Deriv Bot is
compatible with synthetic indices.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 51

Appendix H

FAQs
Opening an account

I’m new to trading. Where do I start?

The first step is to open an account. You can apply online in just a few
minutes.
Do I need to send any documents?
Deriv works to a high compliance standard as required by its regulators.
Know Your Client (KYC) is now required in many countries. Deriv works
hard to make this as simple as possible and not cause unnecessary delays.
Do you offer demo accounts?
Deriv offers a demo account so you can get the hang of trading before
staking any actual currency of your own. There is no time limit on a demo
account, and a real account and demo account can run concurrently.
Will I need to install any software?
Deriv is entirely web-based and requires no software installation. You can
also use a tablet or other mobile device. MT5 does not require an app to be
downloaded, however, there is also a downloadable app available on the
Google Play and Apple App Stores.

How soon can I start trading?

You can open a Deriv account, deposit funds, and begin trading within
minutes.

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How To Trade Synthetic Indices | Appendices - General points about trading and Deriv 52

Financial security

How safe is my money with Deriv? Your money is always safe with Deriv
and held in segregated accounts at all times.
How does Deriv make money?
Deriv has thousands of clients taking a variety of positions on financial
markets at any time and earns a small margin on these trades. It does not
charge clients commission.
If I make too much money, will my account be closed or will I be
banned?
No. Deriv encourages successful clients and will not close or limit a
winning account. Deriv can hedge trades into financial markets, which
means they have no vested interest in the client’s final result.

Depositing and withdrawing funds

Do I need to deposit any funds to open an account? You don’t need to
deposit any money to open an account, but you need to deposit funds
before you can start trading.
How do I fund my account?
Deriv offers a range of common deposit and withdrawal methods, from
credit and debit cards to bank wires, e-cash, Bitcoin, and e-wallets.

Is it possible to deposit and withdraw the same funds through different

payment methods?
Unfortunately, no. Funds initially deposited through one payment method
must be withdrawn through the same system; funds cannot be transferred
to an alternate system for withdrawal. However, Deriv offers a wide variety
of payment methods to suit your specific needs and preferences.

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About Deriv
Deriv offers a wide range of products to its global client base,
enabling them to trade forex, stocks, stock indices, synthetic indices,
cryptocurrencies, and commodities.
With over 20 years of experience, Deriv’s mission is to bring online trading
to everyone, everywhere via a simple, flexible, and reliable platforms
tailored to fit any trading style.

Today, Deriv has 20 offices worldwide with over 1300 employees from
over 50 countries working together to create an effortless online trading
experience with diversified, market-leading products.

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